Gift Planning Ideas

There are many ways that you can help the Exploratorium and accomplish your philanthropic and financial goals while providing for your loved ones. You can consider any of the following:

Make a bequest. Instruct your attorney to include a charitable bequest for the Exploratorium in your will or living trust. This is one of the simplest ways for you to provide for the museum. Your gift can be made for a percentage of your estate, a specific dollar amount, specific property, or for what remains after your loved ones have been taken care of. A percentage bequest is frequently chosen by donors because it allows their future gift to remain proportional to their estate.

Donate retirement funds. Due to potential taxation concerns that can significantly diminish the value of your retirement account, you may find it beneficial to name the Exploratorium as the beneficiary recipient of your 401(K), 403(b), Keogh, IRA, or other qualified pension plan.

Contribute life insurance policy proceeds. Perhaps you find that a life insurance policy once necessary for your family’s security is no longer needed. Another simple way to make a gift to the museum is to name the Exploratorium as the future beneficiary of the policy.

Create a charitable remainder trust. Name the Exploratorium as the recipient of an irrevocable trust that can provide income for you or a named beneficiary for a period of years (often for the lifetime of the individual). At the end of the term of the trust, the remaining trust assets are distributed to the Exploratorium. Cash, stock, or real estate can be used to fund the trust. Trusts are highly flexible gift-planning tools that have enabled donors to accomplish a variety of important personal financial goals and ultimately provide an important gift to charity.

Donate property. Bequeath your home or other property to the Exploratorium. You may also donate it while retaining the right to live there for the remainder of your life and receive an immediate income tax deduction.

These are just some examples of how you can include the Exploratorium in your gift-planning efforts. Gifts of this nature should be carefully considered in relation to your financial and estate plans and goals. We therefore recommend that you consult an attorney, financial advisor, or estate-planning expert in the preparation of your plans and to supervise their execution so as to comply with the requirements of the state in which you reside.